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Canada's Workplace Inclusion Leaders Announced

BANFF, AB, Nov. 23, 2016 /CNW/ - Indigenous Works (formerly the Aboriginal Human Resource Council) today announced the recipients of its 2016 Workplace Inclusion Leadership Awards. The awards recognize the importance of Indigenous workplace inclusion and honour employers who are striving to attract, support and develop Indigenous talent.

"These awards recognize companies that have committed to building strong Indigenous relationships, partnerships and inclusive workplaces," says Kelly Lendsay, President and CEO of Indigenous Works. "We congratulate these corporate leaders for setting the right tone within their organizations and setting an example for others to follow."

The awards recognize Canadian companies and organizations across several categories.

The Performance Category recognizes exemplary inclusion strategies, practices and behaviours that resulted in positive outcomes for businesses and the Indigenous community. This year's winners include Syncrude Canada for its achievements across the organization including employment, procurement, corporate social responsibility and leadership; Suncor Energy for its extensive Indigenous human resource systems review; and, the Canadian Construction Association and its board of directors for its first ever Indigenous Engagement Guide for industry.

The Changemakers Category recognizes the leadership of organizations and individuals that have advanced Indigenous people, businesses, and communities through Indigenous workplace inclusion. Roger Souckey, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Goldcorp, were recognized for one of the most intensive internal indigenous partnership reviews ever conducted across the company and its mine sites. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) was recognized for its leadership for initiating a national indigenous engagement strategy for IBEW Canada - a first for a national union.

Award winners will be officially recognized at Indigenous Works' inclusion leadership event in Banff, Alberta on November 24, 2016. Profiles of each winner are available at indigenousworks.ca/awards.

Indigenous Works is an ISO certified non-profit organization that helps leading Canadian companies, and Indigenous economic development corporations become employers-of-choice for Indigenous people and companies-of-choice for Indigenous partnership development. An overview of its advisory services and products is available at indigenousworks.ca.